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[Corposant]

A sassenach landlubber question!

What lights would a Clyde Puffer typically carry?

Another naive question!

Is it feasible to power LEDs direct from the receiver (using non-proportional channels) using just resistors? - or are additional electronics required?

My RC is Hitech Laser 6 where channels 5 & 6 are switched.

Mike

[chingdevil]

On my Sealight there is a light mounted over the water tank at the rear, a mast light and the normal red and green lights on the wheel house. I would have though that you could not power LEDs straight from the reciever I used an ACtion P44A to turn my lights on and off.

Brian

[Corposant]

Brian,

Many thanks for your helpful response. Northlight has a similar arrangement to your Sealight with port and starboard lanterns plus the one on the water tank. It was the mast arrangement that prompted my question - it allows for the lantern to be set at any level but would only be seen from the for'ard aspect. The other hanging lantern is obviously for illuminating the work area.



I shall press on with kit arrangement!

It did seem a bit too good to be true that led's could be powered direct from the receiver. (There is no indication in the Hitec manual how much current it is happy to deliver - although driving a servo must take quite a bit.) Sadly Dave Milbourn's P44A units are not suitable for switched receiver outputs - but a P43 looks OK, if I want to switch them all at once (or two if I don't!). I have contemplated the use of a light sensitive switch. This question was stimulated by the need to know how many chunks of electronics I need and where to mount them in the hull.

Mike

[Netleyned]

The hanging lantern on the forestay is actually the anchor light
Only used when riding to a buoy or at anchor

Ned

[barriew]

Apart from the anchor light, I managed to power all the lights on my Northlight. They all 'flicker' individually using the electronics from cheap electronic tea lights. I built a 3.3v voltage regulator to power them from the drive battery and an R/C controlled switch using one of PMKs designs. I did not attempt the anchor light!

Barrie

[Corposant]

Ned,

Great, that's just the sort of information I was looking for!

Barrie,

Your Northlight obviously looks great on the water at night! I'm not daunted by the anchor light - that is not until I can't find wire that is thin enough and flexible enough! My simple mind suggests to me that non-proportional receiver channels are R/C controlled switches! - but what do I know?

Many thanks guys.

Mike

[chingdevil]

My anchor/mast light has two stays cables down its side to raise and lower it on the full size boat. I made these out of enamelled wire, the type found in motors. Anchored at both ends on the mast but free to move through small holes in the deck when the mast is lowered. I then soldered the bulb wires to this painted it all black, no problems


Brian

[Corposant]

Thanks again Brian. I had thought of using enamelled wire - I have a few reels of varying thicknesses somewhere in the loft. However, at my current rate of progress, it's going to be a long time before I get round to the anchor light!

Mike

[david j]

hi corposant, i use copper foil tape stick to side of mast may need to cut in half solder bulb or led at top then fix wire at bottom so you dont see any wire running down mast. you can get it on the famous  e----y site for about £1.99. it is about 7/32 inch wide copper foil tape used for stained glass work 1mm thick hope tis helps. paint over it to seal any contact with other parts used on all my boats . 


davidj

[colin]

You could try this very expensive but could be used in other ways if you need to hide wiring . Lots of other usefull items on the home page. I have just ordered styrene sheet prices are Good and available in colours.
http://www.mindsetsonline.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=418_6_572&products_id=1009623

Regards
Colin

[Corposant]

David

That's a good idea! I imagine you could also get it from a doll's house fittings supplier (I think they use it under wallpaper to connect light switches). I'll bear it in mind when the time comes (although, at the moment I'm thinking of changing the mast from wood to plastic tubing, so I can "lose" the end of the aerial wire inside it in a vertical orientation!). I do lots of thinking but not much comes of it because most of the ideas are a bit potty!

Thanks for your help.

Mike

[Corposant]

Colin

That looks like the perfect solution for the anchor light! As you say, a bit pricey but could have a variety of applications. A fascinating website! I see they also sell plastic tube - for my hollow mast idea!

Many thanks for the info.

Mike

[david j]

hi, you cant taper plastic tube though, much better in wood more realistic with taperd mast my opinion though

davidj

[chingdevil]

Mike

On my Sealight there is a ladder mounted on the front of the mast, this is made of brass with some enamelled wire soldered to the bottom of it for the aerial.


Brian

[Corposant]

David

Thank you for your continued cocern! My thoughts were directed towards acrylic tube, which I would have to turn down on the lathe from 10mm to 9mm anyway. Having said that, the kit doesn't allow for a tapered mast (except for the top inch or so) - the collars all have a 9mm ID. Don't worry, I won't throw the wooden one away! - If you've looked at my build log, you'll realise that most of my ideas don't work out in practice!

Mike

[Corposant]

Brian

Now that's another good idea! The aerial on the Hitec receiver is just over a metre long, is yours much shorter or have you cut the end off and soldered on the extra to get a vertical bit? I was planning to run mine round inside the hull and take the last 300mm up the mast. (A ladder would certainly make a good disguise.)

BTW I had a senior moment earlier when I said the Rx had two switched outputs - it only has one! - so I'd only need one P43.

Mike

[RaaArtyGunner]

hi corposant, i use copper foil tape stick to side of mast may need to cut in half solder bulb or led at top then fix wire at bottom so you dont see any wire running down mast. you can get it on the famous  e----y site for about £1.99. it is about 7/32 inch wide copper foil tape used for stained glass work 1mm thick hope tis helps. paint over it to seal any contact with other parts used on all my boats . 


davidj

 

[Martin (Admin)]

I made a hugely over complicated job of Jan's Puffer mast lights!
http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=242.msg1411#msg1411

1. Cut a deep slot in the mast.
2. Fed 3 wires (from a striped down transformer).
3. Made working lights out the kit fittings and 'grain' of wheat bulbs. ( 6v bulbs on 4.5v, to give dull oil lamp look)
4. Also fitted a ACTion "Flicker" P90 unit for added effect.
5. And just to make it more complicated, I made the whole mast removable!
6. Then spent 3 months building, fixing re-engineering, correcting, disassembling, reassembling, undoing, swearing and finally painting!

Video of Flicker unit:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVhJLKoW_9o

[Corposant]

Martin

"I made a hugely over complicated job" - that's the story of my life! Ask Mrs Corposant!

Thanks for your fully illustrated and detailed response to my problem. (Love the sound track to the flicker unit video!)

I posted the question to find out how many extra bits of ACTion circuitry I am going to have to fit in. It would appear quite a lot! Dave will be pleased!

Some time ago, I thought of cutting a slot in the mast for the end of the aerial but then decided it would be difficult to remove if one needed to take the receiver out of the hull. (Since then my mast has become removeable because I had to cut the bottom off to make room for the boom moving servo!)

I suppose, for a generic Puffer like Northlight, one has to decide whether it's young enough to have an electricity supply (in which case visible wires up the mast would be OK) or old enough to be using oil lamps - in which case the wires would have to be hidden.

Thanks again for your advice. (Weren't you going to make another Puffer?)

Mike

[chingdevil]

Mike
I shortened my aerial by the length of the ladder, I also used the bobbin type device that came with my Hitec Laser 4 to shorten the lead inside the hull.

Brian

[Corposant]

Brian

Thanks for the info. No bobbin with the Laser 6!

Mike

[BigA]

Powering the LEDs from the r/x is fine, providing it can output the necessary voltage and current; most servos give out 6V, so you could run two 3V LEDs in series (without resistors) - they only require 20-40 mA to function, easily supplied via the r/x - you could even connect several to the 6V output, in parallel (with resistors), depending on the current consumption. Even incandescent g-o-w/g-o-r bulbs could be used, although the current consumption is higher (100-200mA) - as you say, a servo consumes a lot of current to move.

A.

[Netleyned]

Servos do not 'give out' voltage
A Receiver will have 5V on its pins
if powered from a BEC or 4.8V from
a four cell battery pack (NiMH)
Four AA Alkalines or a five pack NiMH
will put 6V on the Rx Pins

Ned

It not a switchable voltage it is constant

[Corposant]

BigA

Thanks for a very useful response. The receiver uses a 4.8V 1300mAh battery. I can't imagine having the lights on for long periods, so it will be worth trying the Rx output to switch them directly. The proof of the pudding is in the eating!

Mike

[Corposant]

Ned

I assumed BigA meant receiver when he said "servos".

I don't understand "It's not a switchable voltage it is constant"

Mike